- The company will donate 300,000 masks to the Madrid Region Health Service and distribute the remainder among its employees.
- This contribution, worth 750,000 euro, is another step in Ferrovial’s contribution to stopping the pandemic
- The company’s engineers worked on the development of the coronavirus app and a number of 3D printing initiatives for medical devices
Ferrovial has imported 620,000 masks in a new initiative by the company to help fight the coronavirus. 300,000 of these masks will be donated to the Madrid Region Health Service. The plane with the material from China landed this afternoon at Madrid Barajas airport. The contribution, worth 750,000 euro, was made possible by donations to the “Ferrovial Juntos COVID-19” fund which the company set up on the occasion of this health crisis and to which it will contribute up to 10 million euro.
This week Ferrovial will also donate a first shipment from China of 70 respirators to the Madrid Region Health Service. This initiative is in addition to the enormous efforts being expended by the company, which has stepped up its cooperation with the Administration, both by performing its regular activities and also by providing its capabilities and resources on a pro bono basis.
Last week, the company announced the creation of the “Ferrovial Juntos COVID-19” fund, to which it will contribute up to 10 million euro to help fight the pandemic. The company will make an initial contribution of 5 million euro. At the same time, it has launched a drive to raise funds among employees, directors, shareholders, contractors, suppliers and anyone wishing to make a donation. The company will match any contributions up to a total contribution of 10 million euro.
“Ferrovial Juntos COVID-19” funds will be allocated for specific projects by the healthcare administration, hospitals, universities and research and development centers, as well as NGOs. These projects will focus on the procurement of healthcare materials and medical equipment, and on research into pharmacological solutions or vaccines to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company will also donate funds to help vulnerable groups and those at risk of exclusion as a result of the current health crisis. The funds will be allocated with the utmost transparency in terms of beneficiaries and projects.
Ferrovial also donated 800 face shields for use by healthcare workers at facilities in Madrid, Toledo and Guadalajara last week. They were made with 3D printing and use helmet mounts that are standard in the construction industry.
In its capacity as a construction company and also as a service provider and innovator, the company has worked on a number of initiatives to curb the pandemic. It has expressed its willingness to work on converting public buildings such as sports pavilions and convention centers for healthcare use; it already played an active role, with the Madrid Regional Government Health Ministry and the Military Emergencies Unit (UME), in installing a field hospital at Madrid’s convention center. A total of 60 Ferrovial professionals worked to assemble 500 beds and install the oxygen supply system for this 5,500-bed facility, the largest hospital in Spain.
The company has also offered to build field hospitals with capacity for 250 beds. And it has mobilized its construction and design capabilities to build fast testing centers and has begun installing drive-in testing centers in the Balearic Islands. In Madrid and Santander, it has made 830 parking spaces available free of charge to healthcare workers.
Innovation at the service of the authorities
Working on a pro bono basis in partnership with other companies, Ferrovial helped produce the coronamadrid and asistenciaCOVID-19 apps for the Madrid Regional Government and the Government of Spain.
The company’s Digital Hub is working with a “maker” initiative to create low-cost assisted breathing devices using 3D printing and electronics. The project documentation has been open-sourced so that it can be used by maker groups in other countries.
Ferrovial is also participating in a group at the Jaén Technology Park using 3D printing to make personal protection equipment such as masks and face shields. The group, a partnership of companies and private individuals, can produce up to 400 masks per day.
Ferrovial continues to deliver its services, which are classified as essential, after the declaration of the state of alarm due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These critical services include ambulance transport, hospital maintenance and cleaning, street cleaning, and healthcare and pharmaceutical waste collection and treatment, all of which are essential for day-to-day operations.
Ferrovial professionals serve more than 25 million citizens throughout Spain. Specifically, more than 16,000 employees work in the critical areas, such as staffing health emergency call centers, providing cleaning and disinfection, and maintaining the country’s main hospitals and health centers, totaling more than 40,000 beds. The company’s employees also crew ambulances and deliver medical emergency response and home telecare services.
